Weighing-machine.



No. 683,477. Patented Oct. l,'l90l. A. A. MEYER.

WEIGHING IAGHINE.

:Applicltion filed July 9!, 1901.)

(I0 lndal.) 2 Shoots-Shoot L 7 Inventorx No. 683,477. Patented Oct. I,190L- A. A. MEYER.

WEIGHING IAOHINE;

(Application fllod July 24, 1901.)

2 Sheets-$heet 2.

(lo lodal.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDltlUV A. MEYER, OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.

WEIGHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,477, dated October1, 1901.

Application filed July 24, 1901. Serial No. 69,538. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ANDREW A. MEYER, of Quincy, in the county of Norfolkand State of Massachnsettshave invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Weighing-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention relates to coin-controlled weighing-machines in which theweight of a person standing upon the platform of the machine isindicated only upon the insertion of a coin in a slot in the machineprovided for the purpose; and its object is to provide a mechanism whichis simple and eflicient in construction and which is not liable to beinjured or rendered inoperative by rough usage such as machines of thischaracter are fre quently subjected to.

In the machine embodying all the various features of the invention theweighing or counterbalancing mechanism is separate from the indicatingmechanism and is free to operate when a person steps upon the platform.The indicating mechanism is not operated, however, to disclose theweight of the person on the platform until a coin is inserted. Theoperation of the weighing or counterbalancing mechanism moves agraduated scale which is connected therewith a certain distance,dependent upon the weight upon the platform, and also moves a devicewhich determines the position into which the indicator will be movedupon the insertion of a coin. By thus moving the scale, as well as theindicator-controlling device, through the movement of the weighingmechanism the scale may be arranged in a compact space, and the distancethrough which it is necessary to move the indicator in indicating a widerange of weights may also be reduced to a minimum. The scale ispreferably formed on a plate, with the graduations arranged inintersecting lines, and the plate is preferably connected with theweighing mechanism by being secured directly to the rod which connectswith the platform levers, although other forms of scales andarrangements of graduations or other connections between the scale andweighing mechanism,which will cause the scale to be moved to an extentvarying with the weight, may be employed. The indicating device whichcooperates with the movable scale is preferably in the form of apointer, and the movement of the pointer is controlled by a controllerso connected with the weighing mechanism that it is moved to varyingdistances by different weights. This controller is preferably in theform of a plate secured to the rod which connects with theplatformlevers and provided with a series of intersectingcontrolling-surfaces corresponding to the lines of graduations on thescale-plate. These and the various other features of the invention to bereferred to will be made more clear by referring to a machine embodyingthe same, and in the accompanying drawings I have shown a machineembodying all the features of the invention in their preferred forms.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the upper part of themachine with the front of the casing removed. Fig. 2 is a side elevationshowing the casing in section. Fig. 3 is a detail showing the same partsshown in Fig. 1, but in a different position; and Fig. 4 is a sideelevation showing the connection between the platform-levers and theother devices.

In the machine shown in the drawings the person to be weighed issupported upon a platform A, resting upon a system of levers, as isusual in this type of machine, one of the levers B being connected bymeans of a rod 0 with the counterbalaneing devices. The weight upon theplatform is counterbalanced and measured by springs D, the lower ends ofwhich are connected with a cross-piece E, secured to the rod 0, and theupper ends of which are connected to a cross-piece F, suspended from thetop of the casing G by the rod H. hen a person stands upon the platformA, the springs D are extended until they counter-balance the weight ofthe person, and the extent to which they are extended, and therefore thedistance through which the parts sustained by said springs are moved,depends upon the weight upon the platform, the springs being extendedand the parts being moved to varying distances by diderent weights. Thisweighing mechanism is free to operate whenever a person steps upon theplatform, and its operation also causes the movement of the graduatedscale with which of the casing G and is protected by a glass The plateG, mounted in said opening. graduations are arrangedin intersectinglines 11 to i extending back and forth across the plate, as shown inFigs. 1 and 3. cated in the drawings, the lines of graduations are soarranged that each fifty pounds upon the platform will depress thescaleplate adistance equal to the vertical distance between the oppositeends of-each linethat is 3130 say, if fifty pounds is on the platform 7the scale-plate will be depressed until the right .end of line i is at:the same height that the left'end of line 2" is when no weight is-0nthe platform, .or if one hundred pounds is on the platform the left endof line i will be at the same heightthat the left end of t" is when noweight is on the platform, and so on for each fifty pounds added to the.Weighton the platform.

The indicator which indicates the weight consists of a pointer K,pivoted at 75 to a stationary supporting-plate It, so that the end ofthe pointer may swing across the plate G. The pointer is normally backout of sight within the casing, and its position when operated todisclose the weight on the platform is controlled by a controller-plateL, connected to be moved bythe Weighing mechanism :by being secured tothe rod 0. The plate Lis adjustably held in position by the nuts Zu-ponthe red .O, which engage opposite-sides of one of the lugs L on theplate through which the rod passes. The controller-plate is providedwith a series of intersecting controllingasurfaces l to Z correspondingto the lines 2' to i on the scale-plate, which sur faces engage the pinit when the pointer is is swung forward and determine the distance whichthe pointer will travel across the scaleplate. For instance, if there isone hundred pounds upon the platform the controller will be depressed.Suificiently to bring the point at the intersection of surfaces Z 1into the path of the pin and when the pointer swings forward its upperend will be at the intersection of lines '5 i For any weight less thanone hundred pounds the controller will be depressed a less distance, andthe pin 70 will engage one of the inclined surfaces Z or Z when thepointer is swung forward, and the upper end of the pointer will beatsome point on the lines 2" i", the point being determined by theweight on the platform.

Any suitable mechanism may be employedfor causing the operation of theindicator upon the insertion of a coin-such, for instance, as areemployed in various forms of As indicoin-controlled weighing-machines;but it is preferred to employ the form of mechanism shown in thedrawings. This mechanism embodies certain features of invention, whichare not limited in their application to machines having the arrangementof graduated scale and controller shown in the drawings, but may be usedwith advantage wherever it is desired to control the operation of anindicator by the insertion of a coin. In this construction the pointeris supported in its normal position by a pin is, which rests upon theupper surface of the plate K. The weight of the pointer is slightly inexcess of its counterweight-arm H, which extends upon the opposite sideof the pivot k, so that the pointer will remain in its normal positionuntil moved therefrom through the insertionof the coin. The-devices:forcausing a movementof the pointer when a coin is inserted consist ofa lever M, mountedon the pivotk and carrying a weight, which zis-soarranged that as the lever isswung about'its pivotthe force exerted bythe weight is shifted from one side of the pivot-point :to the other,the result being that the Weight acts to resist movement of the leveruntil the lever has turned through a certain distance and then tendstocontinneor assistthemovementof the lever in the same direction. Theweightmay be supported on or connected to the lever in any suitablemanner to produce this result, but is preferably mounted thereon so thatit may shift or slide bodily longitudinally of the lever. In theconstruction shown the lever is provided with a guide-rod m, upon whicha Weight m is suspended, the upper end of the weight being providedwitha roller m which runs on the guide-rod and facilitates the movement ofthe weight from one end of the rod to the other as thelever rocks 7about-its pivot. The upper end or front end of the lever isprovided witha plate or receptacle O for receiving a coin as it drops from thecoin-chute N, Fig. 2, andthelever is normally in the position shown inFig. 1, with.

the receiver end raised and the weight on on the opposite side of thepivot 70 from the coin plate or receptacle. When in this position, a pinon the lever engages the under side of arm 10 and prevents fartherupward movement of the front end of the lever. When a coin passes downthrough the coin-chute, it strikes the coin-plate'O and swings this endof the lever downward until the coin passes ofi of the end of the lever.This movement of the lever causes the rear end of the lever to strike apin 0 on the pointer, causing the pointer to swing forward with the rearend of'the lever. About the'time the lever strikes the pin k theguide-rod m has passed the horizontal and the weight m slides to theopposite end of the guide-rod, so that it acts to assist the coin incontinuing the movement. of the lever or acts to continue the movementof the leverafter the coin has passed olf of the plate 0. The coin andweight, or the weight alone, continue the downward movement of thefrontend of the lever and the forward movement of the pointer until thepin 7c is arrested by the controller-plate, and the weight holds thelever and pointer in this position until they are returned to theirnormal position. In the construction shown the surfaces Z to Z not onlyact as controller-surfaces, but they also act as cam-surfaces forreturning the indicator mechanism to its normal position. The operationof the surfaces Z to Z as means for returning the indicator mechanismwill be made clear by considering the operation of the machine inweighing and indicating the weight of aperson. Suppose, for instance, aperson weighing one hundred and twenty pounds steps upon the platform.Then the weighing mechanism and scale-plate will be depressed to theposition indicated in Fig. 3, the indicating mechanism remaining as inFig. 1. If the person now inserts a coin in the coin-chute, the coinwill strike on the end of lever M,swing said lever about its pivot, andwill cause the indicating mechanism to assume the position shown in Fig.3, with the pin against the surface Z and with weight m on the frontside of the pivot 7.0. Then the person steps ofi of the platform, thesprings D will suddenly raise the controller-plate, and the surface Zwill throw the pointer backward, the pin 70 acting to swing the lever Mabout the pivot, so that the guide-rod m is carried by the horizontal,when the weight m will slide to the left end of the rod and return thelever M to its normal position. The backward movement of the pointerwill be arrested by the plate K and pin and the parts will be in theposition shown in Fig. 1. With this construction only a partial upwardmovement of the controller is required to return the parts, thuspreventing the weighing of two persons by having the second person stepon as the first person steps OE and before the weighing mechanism hasfully returned to its normal position. If the weight upon the platformis increased after the weight has been once indicated, as by a secondperson stepping onto-the platform before the first person steps off, theindicator mechanism is returned to its normal position. For instance, ifwith the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3 the weight is increased,the surface 1' will act to return the parts to their normal position inthe manner above indicated. An arm P, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,)which is in the nature of a safety device, is arranged to strike theunder side of the lever M, when the weighing mechanism returns to normalposition and will act to return the indicating mechanism to normalposition in case it should not be returned by the surfaces Z to 1*.

When the parts are in their normal position, any jumping upon theplatform will not affect the indicating mechanism,'for the reason thatthe pin 7; is then out of engagement dicating mechanism.

The above construction affords a simple and efficient mechanism foraccurately determining the weight of a person upon the introduction of acoin and at the same time avoids any danger of two or more personsascertaining their weight by the introduction of a single coin andprovides against injury to the machine by jumping upon the platform.

hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is e i l. Thecombination of mechanism moved to varying distances by differentweights, a graduated scale operated by the movement of said mechanism,an indicator-controller operated by the movement of said mechanism, anda coin-controlled indicator arranged to cooperate with the scale toindicate the weight, substantially as described.

2. The combination of mechanism moved to varying distances by differentweights, a plate connected with said mechanism, having graduationsarranged in intersecting lines, a controller connected with saidmechanism having a series of intersecting controllingsurfacescorresponding to the lines on said plate, an indicator the position ofwhich when operated is controlled by said controller, and means wherebythe indicator is operated upon the insertion of a coin, substantially asdescribed.

8. The combination of weighing mechanism, a plate connected with saidmechanism having a graduated scale thereon, a controller'plate connectedwith said mechanism having controlling-surfaces thereon, a pointermounted to move across the face of said scaleplate, coincontrolledmechanism for moving said pointer into engagement with said controllingsurfaces, and mechanism for returning said pointer to its normalposition, substantially as described.

4. The combination of weighing mechanism, a plate connected therewithhaving graduations arranged in intersecting lines, a plate L connectedwith the weighing mechanism and having intersecting surfaces Z, Z &c.formed thereon, a pointer K and coin-controlled means for moving saidpointer into engagement with said surfaces, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a weighing mechanism, a controller operatedthereby, an indicator, a lever for operating said indicator having itsfront end arranged in the path of a coin, a weight carried by the leverand arranged to act upon the rear side of the leverfulcrum when thelever is in normal position and to be shifted from one side of thefulcrum to the other as the lever is rocked on its fulcrum,substantially as described.

6. The combination of an indicator, a lever for operating said indicatorhaving its front end in the path of a coin, aweight cari'ied by thelever and arrangedto act upon opposite sides of the "fulcrum as thelever is rocked, and means for returningithe indicator andi lever-afterthey have been operated bytheoi-n; substantially asdeseribed.

7 i Thecombination 1 of an indicator, a le- Ver 'fOr operating; saidindicator having its fr0ntf end imthe" p'ath' of a wcoin', alweightguided on" the: lever to slide from one side of I the fulcrum to th'e:other as the lever rocks, andf means for returningtheindi'cator'and1ever after they have been operated by the coin', substantiallyasdescribedi- 8. The combination of an indicator K, a lever M foroperating said indicator i having a coin plateorreceptacle O at itsfronten'd, and a weight'm mounted to slide on the lever'from' one sideof thefulcruin to the other, snbstan tially as described.

9. The combination of weighingi mechanism, a controller having aninclined controlling-siirface connected with said mechanism,

In testimony whereof I'haveafiixedmysignature in presence oftwo'witnesses;

ANDREW A. MEYER.

\Vitnesses IRA L. FISH, GEO. N; GODDARD.

